Threading Identity | Antwerp, Belgium

In this episode, we head to the Flemish region of Belgium and focus on a community centre in the heart of Merksem, a multicultural district of the city of Antwerp. Merksemdok Community Centre serves as a meeting point for people in the neighbourhood to participate in programs such as community theatre, Dutch language practice groups and a number of cultural and artistic programs for children.

In December 2020, the centre held the “Stay Yourself” Fashion show and exhibition, an event culminating 2 months of work during which 10 young people created their own collection focusing on fashion & identity. The fashion show gave the pre-teens, all girls between the ages of 10 and 13, the centre stage to present their self-designed and handmade creations to a live audience comprised of their families, friends and other community members. In a flurry of purple and pink lights and accompanied by the beats of their handpicked songs, the girls took their turns striding down the runway, presenting their garments that not only aimed to show off their newly acquired textile skills but also tell stories of their heritage and experience growing up in their neighbourhood.

We hear from Koen Pyls, Fadime Tezerdi and Laura Vargas about their experiences overseeing the workshops.

“Frequencies” is a podcast that explores arts and cultural initiatives that seek to impact and transform communities, near and far. Each episode features the work, voices, and experiences of artists and cultural workers across Europe and beyond. “Frequencies”, a production of Culture Action Europe, lives at the intersection of culture and politics by focusing on the power cultural practises and agents have in nurturing inclusive, open, diverse, fair and democratic societies.

Hosted by Maya Weisinger

Intro and Outro music: "納骨堂 (johnny_ripper remix)" by Tide Jewel